Panel Votes Israel $650 Million War Aid

Carrying out a bipartisan compromise, the House Appropriations Committee voted Tuesday to give Israel $650 million to cover costs associated with the Persian Gulf War, as it approved a $42.6-billion down payment on Operation Desert Storm.

The aid to Israel, recommended by the Bush Administration on the eve of Secretary of State James A. Baker III’s first visit to the Jewish state, was approved without dissent after proponents said it would be the only such request made to Congress this year.

In the broad war-funding measure, the panel allocated $15 billion in U.S. taxpayers’ money for the Gulf offensive and authorized another $27.6 billion in outlays to come from contributions by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Germany and other affluent nations.

The committee directed the Administration to use the allied contributions to pay bills from the Gulf conflict before dipping into the U.S. Treasury. Other nations have pledged $53.5 billion to pay for the war effort, but so far they have provided only $12.1 billion in cash and $2.7 billion for in-kind assistance such as fuel, food and transportation.

Although there is strong sentiment on the committee and elsewhere in Congress to prod the allies to speed their promised payments, a move to demand that all the contributions be paid in full by April 15 was defeated by a vote of 24 to 17.

The aid to Israel is included in a $4.25-billion emergency funding measure that is separate from the $42.6-billion war-funding bill. Both were adopted by voice vote and sent to the full House for almost certain passage on Thursday. The bills then go to the Senate.

The broad war bill allocates $45.3 million to buy 2,500 TOW anti-tank missiles and $224 million to buy 342 of the Patriot missiles that performed so well in knocking down Scud missiles fired at Israel and Saudi Arabia by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s forces.

The smaller emergency funding bill includes $792 million for indirect war costs and almost $3.4 billion for pressing domestic needs, such as unemployment compensation, food stamps, health care for military dependents and $30 million for California drought relief.

The big war-funding bill includes another $438 million to buy 500 new Patriots and modernize others, as well as $377 million to purchase 290 Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The panel voted 37 to 12 to demand that the Navy buy another dozen F-14 fighter planes for almost $1 billion. The move is expected to rescue the troubled Grumman Aircraft Co. of Long Island, N.Y., by keeping the defense contractor from shutting down its production line.

Without such action, said Rep. Robert J. Mrazek (D-N.Y.), Grumman will go out of business and leave the United States with only one manufacturer of naval aircraft. Opponents said the F-14 should be phased out and replaced with the newer and faster F/A-18 fighter.

In another demonstration of congressional delight with the outcome of the war, the committee earmarked $350,000 for a televised Memorial Day celebration on the Washington Mall to salute members of the armed forces who served during the conflict.

In approving the aid for Israel, with the understanding that no further assistance will be forthcoming in 1991, the committee went along with a bipartisan compromise crafted by the Administration and key lawmakers.